This is it...my 200th post!

What a beautiful Sunday we had here today!
The skies were a beautiful blue and not a cloud in them!
We have spent most of the day getting used to the time change!
Isn't it funny you know it's coming but when it gets here it takes a while to adjust!
We never used to have to change our clocks but nothing can stay the same it seems!

I'm excited I finally reached my 200th post! The way I talk I surely thought I would have reached it before now, but I just can't find the time to be on here so much these days!
It looks like I am not going to have any takers on my giveaway so I guess I will keep the things and try again before Christmas!

Lilli and I have started something new this week! Since we have at least 300 cookbooks...
I know that's a ton and we are finding it hard to store them but we love them and it's hard to tell people we don't want one for a gift so we will continue to get them! The thing is...my brother actually brought this to my attention the other day...we have all these cookbooks and probably have not used all of them at least once. Well, that I thought was a shame so now every week we are going to do our best to try at least one new recipe from one of our books or magazines!
Here is one we tried on Friday! It's from the mixingbowl.com magazine! I have only been able to find one issue in the stores and haven't spent enough time on the site to see if they still put them out, but I have joined the site!

This is called Pizza in a Pot! Yummy! We all loved it!

I finished my Angel Swap stuff and got it mailed out! I was so in a hurry that I forgot to take pictures, but it was fun! I made a Tone Finnanger bag and a rose pin! I made an angel to hang in her room, a rose pin cushion, and a cover for a retractable tape measure(you can find the tutorial for it here)! They were all fun to make!

That's it for me today! I hope you all have a great week!

Wherever you are whatever you are doing I hope you have a wonderfully happy day!

Vickie

It's my Birthday Give Away!!!!

Yes, today is not only my birthday but I share it with a very special friend! Her name is Kacey!
Her and her mom own the Cashmere Cat!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY KACEY!!!

I just want to say Thank You again to my Angel for my gifts and I was just reading her blog!
She gave me an award! So Thank You Monika and as soon as I figure out how to get it on my blog, I will share it with every one!!!!

Have you noticed I have added a new list of my favorite things?!!!

Well last year I decided to celebrate my birthday with a give away and so I am at it again this year!
However, this year it will coincide with my 200th post! Can you believe it! I finally made it to my 200th post! Well, almost! I have one more! So with that, I am going to have a surprise giveaway to celebrate! Just leave me comment with a few of your favorite things by Monday, November 2! I well announce the winner on Tuesday!
Sorry no picture today.

Wherever you are whatever you are doing I hope you have a wonderfully happy day!!!
Vickie

My Angel Swap Gifts!!!

It's really early here, but I had to post about my angel swap gifts! Yes, they came today!
My angel is from Germany! Just look at those cards! See the purple card, that is mine! Monika, my angel, made it! It is wonderful!

This is a cushion! Isn't it great! It's in my favorite colors! I wish you could see it better! The white fabric is exquisite!
The words say WISH YOU WELL!!!!

Look at my penguin cards that she made! Aren't they special! There are 12 different ones! I will find it very hard to use them! I love them all!

This is a CD of a quilt pattern that Monika designed!
called December 6.

Here is everything altogether!!

Many thanks to Monika for her hard work and beautiful stitchery! I will cherish all of these things forever!

Wherever you are whatever you are doing I hope you are having a wonderfully happy day!
Vickie

PS...Be sure to go over later today and check out Lilli's gifts! Monika was so kind to send her some, too!!!

HAPPY 50TH ANNIVERSARY!!!!!

Then and...

Now!!!
HAPPY 50th ANNIVERSARY, Mom and Dad!!!
We all love you!!!

We will be having a big party Sunday, please check Lilli's blog for all the details! She is absolutely excited about posting it!!!

Wherever you are whatever you are doing I hope you are having a wonderfully happy day!!
Vickie

It's Fall here in Winchester!!!

You have read about my friend Heidi before, I'm sure! How she is always doing something for someone or some organization! Well, you always know when it's fall in Winchester because it's time for the Mardi Gras, which by the way Lilli has a great post on it! Back to Heidi, she is with the Women's Business League and they bake and sell cookies for scholarships! The group was having a both at the Mardi Gras and she said she had to bake 16 dozen of 3 different kinds! I said what, I love to bake let me help!!! And that's just what I did with lots of help from Lilli! We took the Snickerdoodles! Yummy!
Here's the dough and....

here they are going in the oven. Would you know I forgot to take a picture of them coming out. Anyway, trust me we baked and baked and in the end they had to have more than they took up which means they sold a lot of cookies! That scholarship fund should be pretty fat!!!

Now that it is fall I am sure I will be getting to cook lots more and bake more than usual! This is a picture of the Chili Pie topped with Hashbrowns and Cheese that I made over the weekend! Yummmmmmy!
The recipe came from .......

this book! I love to read and Debbie Macomber just happens to be one of my favorites! She has a series called Cedar Cove Series! I just finished the latest and learned that she was doing a cookbook to go with it! Of course, I had to have it! It is a wonderful cookbook! The Cauliflower and Potato Cheese soup is great, also!!!!

The leaves in our woods are turning and falling too fast these days! We have lots of rain so we haven't been able to rake them up and play in them yet!! As soon as it dries out, if it does, we will be out there raking those beautiful leaves up and jumping in!

I have to go now! Lots to do! I have to finish up my Angel Swap stuff, I am thinking about baking an apple pie with crumb topping! One of my favorites! And I have 5 pair of flannel sleep pants to make for Lilli! You know my birthday is coming really fast and as always I will be having a giveaway! I am also working on stuff for that!!!

Wherever you are whatever you are doing I hope you are having a wonderfully happy day!!!
Vickie

PS.....Just an update we took Gayle back to the bone specialist and her bones are healing!!!
He was very impressed on how quickly the mega doses of Vitamin D helped her mend! We are now working on her calcium levels!!!! We don't have to go back until March!

Go Be A Flaker!!!

I'm serious! You have to go create your own snowflake! It is so much fun! A great way to let go of some stress! For me, it's alot like blowing bubbles!!!
Just push the snowflake button in my sidebar!!!
Like it says "it's always snowing somewhere!" Like I always say, "let it snow!"
Have fun!!!!


Wherever you are whatever you are doing I hope you are having a wonderfully happy day!

Vickie

Where to start.......

I don't have the faintest idea where to start. It has been like forever since I last really posted but here goes!!!
Since the last time I really posted to let you know what was goin' on here was way back in.....let's just say it was a couple of months ago, ugh....
Anyway, we have celebrated 2 very special birthdays for Gayle and Lilli here at home, a 30th class reunion, it was so much fun, which I was on the committee for, my mom, my niece, my dad, and my sister-in-law all had one big birthday bash along with Gayle and Lilli in early September, I had to type up Gayle's legal papers, we had out of town guests around Gayle's birthday, we went to Indianapolis so John could see the first Colts game of the season with his cousin and yep we won, Lilli, Gayle, and I went shopping, we made birthday cards, which was good since we needed so many, I got my hair hi-lighted, a first for me! and we have made a few stops at Jo-Anns! I am working on my Angel Swap and my birthday giveaway!
Our biggest day was yesterday! I believe Lilli has posted about it! I have a life long friend(since 1st grade!) that is the most giving person I know! Her name is Heidi(she has no blog)! If she knows there is someone in need she is there, she gives all she has to her church, any organization she belongs to she is there, but yesterday, she was a volunteer for an event that her daughter Nicole was in charge of! It was a walk for Alzheimer's! I decided I should get involved! I am so glad I did! I am really glad Lilli did! It didn't dawn on me until Heidi said something about how great it was that someone Lilli's age would volunteer! You here about volunteerism all the time but until you actually get involved you don't realize what it means to those that are trying to make a difference! So I am bragging about my own daughter! Whether it's right or wrong I am going to say that I am so PROUD of her! Volunteering to make a difference in the world is not like volunteering to wash dishes!!!! Lilli worked as hard as Heidi and I!
I can honestly say we walked away from yesterday's experience wanting to do more!
So we will!
The only thing I regret is that we forgot the camera, I guess because I am out of the blogging mode! I am sorry that this post has no pictures, but just think if it did, it would be one of the longest posts ever!!!

Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, I hope you are having a wonderfully happy day!
Vickie